# noun. - a percussion instrument sounded by being struck with sticks or the hands, typically cylindrical, barrel-shaped, or bowl-shaped, with a taut membrane over one or both ends. * a shuffling dance to the beat of a drum - a cylindrical container or receptacle. * a drum of powdered bleach - an evening or afternoon tea party of a kind that was popular in the late 18th and early 19th century. * a drum at Lady Beresford's - a fish that makes a drumming sound by vibrating its swim bladder, found mainly in estuarine and shallow coastal waters.